High Places
by HaveAHeart0301
Summary: When a civil war between the queen and her uncle erupts across Crimea, the heroes of the last war find themselves on opposing sides of the conflict. However, as a new threat in the form of a powerful sage emerges, the two armies will have to put aside their differences to stop the impending destruction of Tellius once again. Warning: multiple character deaths.


**High Places**

**Chapter I**

_Author's Note: So, if this story seems familiar, it's because it's a rewrite of a story I started five years ago called _Of Peace and War_. I ended up discontinuing that story after only a year, and when I decided to pick it up again, I realized that the whole thing was in desperate need of rewriting. With that said, this story is based on the same concept, but it will virtually be unrecognizable, and I think I'm only keeping one or two of the original pairings the same. Oh, and lastly, this new title is from a lovely song by Kane and Ilse DeLange._

* * *

Red. That was all the man could see for miles. Red was the color of the grass as blood spilled from both foe and friend, swirling into a sea that joined both armies as one. Red was the color of the sky as mages set it and everything else in their path ablaze. And now, red was the color of his spear as he pulled it from the crumpling body of his newest victim.

Geoffrey turned away as this last body fell, for he could not bear to look at this man as he took his last breath. For, in this entire battle, this dying man was the first enemy whom the general knew by name. He knew that this soldier was called Kelwyn and that he had three children at home who would never see him alive again. It was much harder to know your opponent, Geoffrey decided. He averted his gaze to the left and saw one of his men slice into the armor of a former comrade who had served in his platoon. The general cringed. Yes, this was far harder.

War was not something the man could claim to understand, but he understood civil war even less. He could not fathom how brothers and sisters, whether by blood or in arms, could turn against one another and throw away their memories together for the ideals of another. Even less, Geoffrey could not understand how the people of Crimea, who had just lost so much at the hands of Ludveck's rebellion, could start the fight anew a mere year later. And, above all, he could not understand the motives of the man at the root of this turmoil.

Geoffrey nodded to his second in command as the axe knight rode by to assist an archer who had been caught in the middle of a group of mages. The commander of the Royal Knights winced as Kieran shouted, "For sweet Crimea!" before bringing his axe down on the head of a sorceress. Geoffrey sighed. If there was one thing that he knew, it was that his idea of doing something in the name of one's country did not equate to killing your own countrymen, and as he lead his horse about the battlefield where he was not certain which side was which, he realized that he needed to find the only two people he could trust – and quickly.

* * *

He saw her long before he was close enough to grab her attention. The closer he got to her, the more Geoffrey realized that he was not the only one in despair. Even as Lucia stabbed a rival swordmaster clean through the chest, her brother could see the desolation in her features. She was not ready for this. Though she tried to hide it, Geoffrey knew that his sister was still damaged by the last rebellion, and he also knew that she had changed since being captured by Ludveck, even if she put on a brave face for everyone else. He knew that she was now more skittish, more cautious. It was in the way her eyes never took a break from darting around the battlefield, in the way she sat in silent contemplation when she thought no one was watching. Above all, it was in the way she read every book on tactics she could get her hands on or how she kept her hair trimmed to only fall at her shoulders. While others may have thought nothing of these changes, her brother knew that Lucia was afraid. She was afraid of being a liability again, and Geoffrey wasn't sure that she would ever lose that new part of her.

Presently, Geoffrey grabbed his bow from its place around his back and shot an arrow at a halberdier that approached his sister from behind. Lucia heard the man fall and spun around on her heel, a disheartened smile spreading across her face as her brother approached. "Thanks," she muttered as she wiped the blood from her sword onto the grass. "I thought he was one of ours."

Geoffrey nodded in solemn agreement. "I know the feeling," he admitted. "Earlier I nearly speared one of my own lieutenants who was coming to give me an update."

Her brother's eyes scanned the battlefield once more, glancing over the various skirmishes occurring all around them. The woman knew his thoughts even before she caught his frown. "She's isn't far," his sister informed him. "I told her it would be better for her to heal our soldiers than to fight, since there's very little distinction and enemies can seem to be allies and sneak –" She broke off and smiled again, this time genuinely, before gesturing toward the fallen halberdier. "Well, you know all about that. But I fear even that is proving to be a difficult job; more than once she's healed the men our soldiers had nearly killed."

Her brother sighed. "I figured as much. From what I can tell, this battle really isn't getting either side much of anywhere." Offering Lucia his free hand, he added, "Come on. We might as well find Her Majesty and see what kind of plan we can come up with."

"You're right," she agreed as Geoffrey helped her mount the horse. "We really can't keep going on like this." Her brother nodded, and Lucia gestured a few paces off toward the western gate of Castle Crimea. "Queen Elincia should be stationed there with a fleet of pegasus knights. I'd assume she's expecting us at any moment."

* * *

"Bastian," the duke tried again. Count Fayre glanced to his right and saw the look of displeasure that his lord was giving him. Knowing he had allowed his mind to wander again, Bastian smiled sheepishly. Renning sighed. "I asked you how things looked."

"Alas, Milord," Bastian began solemnly as he returned his attention to the battle playing out in the valley below him, "fares the battle neither favorably nor detrimentally. Have not our sweet brothers-in-arms befallen many ills, yet the same does ring true for the queen's army. 'Twould seem that, ah, neither does know who to call comrade." When Renning did nothing but frown, the count added, "If your humble servant could one observation make, Milord."

The duke nodded. "As my advisor, you are free to make any observation you wish, Bastian."

"Yes, yes, but your loyal companion does hope that the words that leave these lips do not displease your lordship, for these thoughts are mere musings of your ever trusted –"

"Bastian, if you would like to tell me something, please do," Renning said, cutting the other man's speech short. "However, I would warn you that due to our being in the middle of a battlefield, you should probably skip the apologies."

The count of Fayre bowed deeply before the duke. "Of course, Milord. My apologies." Renning raised his eyebrow at this, and Bastian backtracked quickly. "Right, right, no apologies. As your faithful advisor was meaning to make clear, I suppose that it is just that, ah, uneasy is your servant that our valiant army does currently clash with the army of your fair niece. Your loyal friend feels discomfort that our ever-righteous troops fight our old comrades – the noble Queen Elincia, esteemed General Geoffrey, dedicated Sir Kieran…the lovely Lady Lucia…"

The duke sighed yet again and met the count's gaze. He replied, "Naturally, I feel the same way about the matter, as you should well know. However, as you also should know, this is what we must do to achieve our goals."

"Never did this lowly count mean to suggest…" Bastian trailed off when Renning gave the man another disapproving glance. "Sorry, did not your steadfast – Right, I shan't apologize for apologizing. What meant your devoted aide was that there was no question of your intentions. Alas, I only intended to suggest that perhaps your gallant lordship should have the troops instructed not to lay harm upon our former comrades."

Renning shook his head and turned away from his advisor. With a bitter laugh, he addressed the man, "Do you really suppose that any of our soldiers even stand a chance against my niece or her closest retainers?" When the other man didn't reply, the duke remounted his horse. "With that said, I would like you to tell our troops to retreat from this pointless fight for now."

A puzzled look crossed Bastian's face. "And what of you, Milord?"

"There is something that I must attend to first," he replied before disappearing down the hillside, leaving the count lost once again in his thoughts.

* * *

Marcia tugged on the reigns of her pegasus to guide the animal in the queen's direction. She allowed the animal to glide skillfully next to the other woman's mount while Elincia finished healing a wind mage who had nearly succumbed to a chest wound. After the queen had finished, the man jumped up quickly and shot an Elwind spell in the direction of the two pegasus knights. The women scrambled, with Elincia urging her mount to dive downward while Marcia eased hers above the spell with a jerk of her wrist. The enemy mage took advantage of this disorientation and quickly bounded back behind the lines of the opposing army.

"Oh, jerky!" Marcia exclaimed as she and Elincia calmed their steeds. "It's impossible to tell which of those meat-heads are theirs!"

The queen sighed as the two pegasi came to float next to each other again. "I thought I would be able to help our troops, but I'm afraid I'm just making more of a mess of things than we had to begin with," the ruler admitted.

"Don't sweat it, Your Majesty," the pink-haired knight replied. "I think everyone's having the same problem. That no good, cheese-brained, cotton candy-haired brother of mine would have stabbed _me_ to death had Astrid not stopped him earlier."

Elincia smiled inwardly, knowing that Marcia was exaggerating for her benefit. The queen had to admit that the tale did make her feel better, even if only a little. Still, she was relieved to know that she wasn't the only one having trouble knowing whom to fight in this battle. As Elincia scanned the battlefield once more for soldiers, her eyes spotted a lone knight riding towards their position. "Say, Marcia, is that Geoffrey perhaps?"

"Hm?" the other woman replied, trying to see in which direction the queen was looking.

"He's riding toward us," Elincia continued. "I suppose we should go down to meet him."

Before Marcia could respond, the queen prodded her mount downward. Marcia blinked her eyes to see more clearly, but she could see the general's blue hair nowhere. As she looked over the field for a third time, the woman caught sight of the knight her queen must have spotted, and Marcia's eyes widened. "No, Your Majesty!" she yelled while spurring her pegasus after Elincia's.

By the time the queen had realized her mistake, Duke Renning was a mere twenty feet from her. Before she could even think to turn around, her uncle dismounted his horse and laid his sword before her feet. Marcia landed next to her in a fury of feathers, but Elincia held her hand up to her retainer. She directed her attention toward her uncle and waited.

"Elincia, I am…so sorry…" he began but was cut off by his niece.

"Uncle, just what is the meaning of this?" she demanded. "First you denounce me as Crimea's queen, then you see fit to send your troops against me, yet now you risk your life to apologize to me? I'm afraid I no longer understand you at all."

"That's fair," the man agreed. "However, Elincia, no matter what happens, you must be strong. Your people need you, and for my transgressions, I owe it to you to tell you one thing: There is a traitor amongst your ranks. Whatever you do, you can't trust—" the man clutched his face as an arrow grazed his left ear. Looking in the direction from which it came, Renning cursed under his breath.

The queen looked over her shoulder to see another horse approaching. "Geoffrey!" she exclaimed as the Silver Knight took aim at the other man once again. "Geoffrey! Please, don't!" When her foster brother didn't lower his bow, Elincia stepped in his path and shouted, "Geoffrey! I command you to drop your weapon this instant!"

Abruptly, Geoffrey stopped his horse, causing Lucia to slam her head into his back. The swordswoman winced at the pain in her jaw before pointing in the direction of the battlefield. Reluctantly, the knight lowered his weapon as he saw the enemy retreating. When they all turned their attention back to where the opposing commander had been, however, they found only a cloud of dust.

"Doughnuts!" Marcia spat, and the other three decided that whatever that meant, they held the same sentiments.

"My deepest apologies, Your Majesty," Geoffrey began, "I thought—"

"It's no matter, Geoffrey," the queen said, waving her hand in the direction in which her uncle had disappeared. "You were only trying to protect me." Despite her words, all three of her retainers could tell that Elincia was displeased with how the situation had been handled, and a grave silence settled in the air.

After what seemed like hours, Geoffrey ventured, "Your uncle called off his troops?" As he dismounted, the commander added in apologetic voice, "Does this mean that the war is over?"

"I don't think so," Elincia sighed. A glimmer caught her eye, and she walked over to where her uncle's horse had been and knelt on the ground. At that moment, Lucia appeared next to her brother, rubbing her aching jaw. Geoffrey gave his sister and apologetic smile and placed his hand on her back. This act went unnoticed by their ruler, who was examining the sword she had discovered on the ground. "It seems my uncle left us a parting gift," she muttered, returning to the other three, the sword in her outstretched hands.

"Crackers!" Marcia cried. "Isn't that one of Crimea's royal blades?"

The queen nodded grimly. "It was a family heirloom," she explained. "With pressure from the nobility, I bestowed it upon my uncle for his service after he returned to the Royal Knights. I had actually intended to give it to another." With this, Elincia looked over her three retainers and held the sword out before her. "Lucia, this sword was rightfully yours from the moment you accepted the position as my bodyguard, and it has been doubly earned since then."

The other woman shook her head. "Your Majesty, I can't—"

"Nonsense," the queen declared. "It is the least I could do after…after everything you've done for me." Here, she placed the blade into the reluctant Lucia's hands before the other woman could protest. Elincia added, "You can consider it an order that you use the sword."

The swordmistress bowed deeply. "Thank you, Your Highness. It is a great honor," she adjoined, attempting to mask the confliction in her voice.

At this moment, the ruler seemed to remember that the battle had ended and glanced at the army standing at attention around her. "General, please tell your men to regroup and tend to the wounded. A ceremony will be held for the fallen at midday tomorrow," she announced. Turning to her pegasus knight, she instructed, "Marcia, if you would, please gather Sirs Kieran and Oscar. The three of you and Geoffrey can join Lucia and I in the assembly hall after you have performed your duties."

Both knights bowed. "By your leave, Your Majesty," Geoffrey added. Elincia nodded, and both he and Marcia remounted their steeds and rode off to carry out their missions. After their departure, the queen turned her attention to her milk-sister, catching Lucia gazing at the retreating army. Elincia watched, catching a short glimpse of a blond sage directing the last of the troops before he, too, disappeared. The young ruler sighed, "You know, Lucia, your service as a guard and as a friend has been invaluable to me, but I wouldn't fault you if you followed after him."

The blue-haired noble cast her eyes at the ground, embarrassed that her foster-sister had noticed her indiscretion. Though she had once been loyal to Renning and even to Bastian, Lucia knew that she could not willing leave her sibling's side. "Elincia, my place will always be with you," she started. After a moment's thought, she added, "He made his choice," leaving the queen to wonder whether the woman had been referring to the count or her uncle.

"I wouldn't have it any other way, Lucia," the queen said with a warm smile. "Come; let's see what we can do about that jaw of yours before the others join us." The two began walking back toward the castle, passing an orange-haired knight neither of the women had seen before.

* * *

Geoffrey entered the castle's assembly hall nearly forty minutes after the battle had ended. Although the general had thought that he had been swift in carrying out his duties, he found that he was the last member of the queen's makeshift cabinet to arrive. As he took his place across from his sister, Geoffrey took stock of those gathered. Next to him sat his second in command, who was so busy retelling his battle victories to the woman on his left that he barely noticed Geoffrey sit down. As the axe knight droned on about having to take on three swordmasters at once, Marcia rolled her eyes in amusement, occasionally stifling a yawn. Across from Kieran, an exhausted Oscar was talking in hushed whispers with Lucia. It was clear to see that the green-haired knight had hastily used a vulnerary to patch up the gash on his arm that had left his sleeve tattered and bloody. Though it was not a pretty sight, it was not the worst that Geoffrey had seen that day.

At the head of the table, the queen stood and cleared her throat, calling everyone's conversations to a halt. As her five assembled retainers returned their attention to her, Elincia sat down once more. "I have called you all here because you are five of the only people I believe I can trust," the emerald-haired ruler began. She scanned the faces of her companions carefully before continuing, "As you all know, my uncle has proclaimed that I am an unfit queen, and he has declared war on Crimea. What we don't know is why he and his followers have had a sudden change of heart. However, regardless of the reason, I am not prepared to merely step aside as Crimea's ruler. As I have said before," here, the woman paused to steal a glance at her foster sister, who simply gave a weak smile. As delicately as possible, Elincia resumed, "As I've said, I will not allow Crimea to become a militant state, nor will I let its citizens be at the mercy of such a ruler." The queen sighed before proceeding, "I do, however, understand that the nature of this war makes it as difficult for you as it is for me. Therefore, if any of you would like to leave my service, know that you may do so now without any repercussions."

Geoffrey was the first to speak. "Your Majesty, with your permission, I will lead the Royal Knights in your honor for the rest of my life," the knight declared. "You _are_ Crimea, and nothing Duke Renning says can change that."

"I, Royal Knight Second-in-Command Kieran, would gladly die for sweet Crimea!" the axe knight declared. "My men and I will teach those traitors a thing or two!"

Oscar nodded. "I rejoined the Royal Knights because I thought there was no better ruler to serve. After fighting under your name, my feelings haven't changed," the paladin added.

"Crackers, Your Majesty! I could never hope to repay you for taking in not only me, but my pig-brained brother as well!" Marcia exclaimed. "My blade is yours!"

Lucia placed her hand on Elincia's. "And you already know how I feel about the matter," the swordmistress stated.

Elincia smiled at her followers. "I'm more than glad to have everyone's service, and I owe a great debt to all of you," she concluded. "With that said, I have devised a plan that I will need your help carrying out." Geoffrey raised an eyebrow, thinking back to all the times the uncertain queen had asked him for tactical advice. Inwardly, the man wondered if Elincia had just grown stronger or if Lucia had actually helped with this plan. "Oscar, I would like you to travel to the mercenary camp to request their help; whatever compensation they require will be acceptable. Kieran, I ask that you seek the aid of King Skrimir of Gallia. Marcia, if you could enlist help from Empress Sanaki of Begnion, and Lucia could inquire assistance from Serenes's King Tibarn; due to the close proximity of these nations, I think it would be more beneficial if you two traveled together." The two women nodded, and the queen continued, "And Geoffrey, I ask that you lead my entire army and prepare the troops for battle."

Almost at once, the blue-haired paladin frowned. "Your Majesty, if I may…" he began tentatively. Upon receiving a nod from his ruler, Geoffrey continued, "It does not make sense to me to send your most trusted vassals away at a time when you need strong allies."

Elincia tugged at a loose strand of her green locks, contemplating her next decision. Finally, the young ruler sighed. "I do not want to cause alarm, especially among the troops, but it seems we may have a bigger problem than we originally thought," she admitted. "During the battle, my lord uncle approached me, and while he was unable to convey his full message – " here, Lucia gave her brother a pointed look, " – he gave a clear warning: one among our ranks is a traitor."

An eerie silence fell across the room, and Geoffrey took that opportunity to study the faces of his fellow retainers. Kieran was a hotbed of anger, his face contorted with barely-suppressed rage. At his side, Marcia looked uncomfortable, though not surprised, which Geoffrey considered understandable since the pegasus knight had been at the queen's side during this encounter. Across the table, Oscar had turned pale and slowly shook his head, as if unwillingly to accept this information as truth. Finally, Geoffrey's gaze fell on his sister, who looked unmoved by the news. Lucia stared directly back at her brother, keeping her calm composure throughout, and the knight wondered how long his sibling had known.

At last, Elincia broke the silence by continuing feebly, "Due to this new knowledge, I felt it best to send only those I knew I could trust to – "

The queen was cut off by an outburst from the unruly redhead to Geoffrey's left. "What sort of scum would betray his fellow countrymen by feeding information to the enemy?" Kieran asked no one in particular, receiving a glare from Lucia. "I, Royal Knight Second-in-Command Kieran, will personally interrogate the troops to find this weasel, and I will deal out the harshest punishment known to man!"

The queen shook her head fiercely. "That will not be necessary, Kieran," Elincia insisted. "The traitor will be discovered in due time, and until then, I feel it would be best to keep this information between the six of us." The ruler looked to her two foster siblings for support.

"Her Majesty is right, Kieran," Lucia agreed. "There is no point in filling the soldiers with concern over a claim that may not even be true. It's very possible that Duke Renning just wanted to make us paranoid."

Geoffrey nodded. "I will look into the matter personally," the commander assured his friend. "There is absolutely no sense in us becoming suspicious of one another without just cause."

Once the hot-tempered Kieran had settled down, Elincia smiled weakly. "Are there any more objections?" the queen asked in the firm tone Geoffrey knew her to use with the Crimean nobles to indicate that she did not want to hear any more disagreements. When no new challenge was voiced, Elincia added, "Well, in that case, I would advise you all to prepare for tomorrow. I ask that those of you traveling leave at dawn."

* * *

Geoffrey knew that the knock he received on his door late that evening could only have belonged to one person. He set down the lance he had been polishing and made his way to the door. Though the knocking did not persist, he knew that she hadn't left. The general turned the lock and pushed the door open, and the woman glided past him, her arms filled with rolled up parchments, which she threw on top of the table, completely covering his weapons.

"I should have known you wouldn't be able to sleep," Geoffrey said with a small grin.

Lucia shrugged. "I can see I'm not the only one," she retorted, taking the chair in which her brother had previously been seated. "I thought we could discuss strategy.

The man shook his head. His sister knew well that he didn't care for details and could hardly be called a strategist. Nevertheless, he removed his armor from the second chair and pulled it back over to the table. In the meantime, Lucia had tossed his lance and quiver of arrows to the floor and spread her parchments across the tabletop. Her brother wrinkled his nose, realizing in disgust that she had brought him maps. "You run the best spy network in Crimea, and the best you can do is maps?" Geoffrey jested.

Lucia rolled her eyes playfully. "Geoffrey, if you honestly believe that I'm merely going to show you some points on a map, then you certainly don't know your own sister very well." Without giving her brother time to reply, the swordswoman continued, "I've had my spies tracking the location of Duke Renning's camp. Thus far, they don't have anything definite, but we have been able to rule out several cities."

Geoffrey frowned. "I thought the duke's forces were stationed at Castle Fayre?" the knight mused, taking sudden interest in the parchments his sister had set before him. He pointed to the county on the first of Lucia's maps, tracing the short line between it and Melior. "Its close proximity to the castle would have allowed for the sudden attack today, plus, of course, there's the fact that Bastian was undoubtedly among Renning's troops."

"That's what I assumed at first, too," Lucia admitted, eyeing Bastian's home on the map. "Unfortunately, I can confirm that that isn't the case." When her brother again began to speak, the woman cut off his train of thought completely by adding, "I looked into the matter myself, so it's reliable information. The duke's forces are absolutely not present in Fayre. In addition, my informants were unable to locate them in Arbor or Nados, and Canteus's soldiers sided with us during the battle, so it is unlikely that the army is hiding there."

The man sighed and leaned back in his chair. "So you mean to tell me that you've essentially found nothing?" her brother inquired, all enthusiasm over the maps gone.

"I didn't say that," his sister huffed. "My informants also looked into reasons for dissatisfaction with the queen's rule, in case we might be able to glean Duke Renning's motive from that."

Geoffrey raised an eyebrow at this. He then leaned forward in his chair once more and prompted, "Go on, then."

"Well," his sibling began, "some resentment is still the result of the last rebellion, of course. One of my more trusted spies heard some rumors that the former rebels started. It was something to do with how the execution had failed and how the palace lied about the death of Ludveck." Though she tried to hide it, Geoffrey could hear the mix of disgust and reluctance when the traitor's name left her lips. Before she could lose her nerve, Lucia continued, "Of course there is no basis in this rumor, and it could not have sparked Renning's change of heart, but it appeals to those with imaginative minds and serves the rebels' purpose well. In addition, there is some concern that the queen would be unable to prevent the nobles from taxing the commoners unfairly – again, not something that would inspire the duke. There's also a suggestion that the queen has lied about what happened when the people were turned to stone, and my spies have found that a few nobles have started gossiping that the heroes made a pact with the dark god to destroy the world. It's rather nonsense, and, of course, Renning knows that to be false. In general, we've found that many of the people simply feel that the throne belongs to Renning, and that may very well be how he feels as well." Her brother looked unimpressed by her news, so, with a bit of thought, she added, "Oh, one of my spies also encountered a rather opinionated maid who seemed to think that this rebellion and the last never would have occurred had the queen married." She looked at Geoffrey pointedly as she said this, a small grin spreading across her features.

At this mention, the knight stood abruptly and stalked over to his chamber's one window. "That's absurd," he spat. Absentmindedly, he watched as the castle's guards milled about the grounds below, preparing to hand their shifts over to their comrades in waiting. In light of the recent attack, the general had assigned double the normal amount of troops to walk the perimeter, and he had stationed plenty of men in watchtowers. Now, he only wished he would have taken a shift himself, rather than having this irritating conversation with his sister. Though she hadn't said it, the man knew what she was insinuating, and he couldn't bear the thought of the suggestion. Though it was true that Geoffrey had once adored – and perhaps even loved – Elincia, it was now too painful a notion for him. He was still loyal and devoted to his foster sister, yes, but he was unsure if he could ever regain that same sense of tenderness for the queen. It was not her fault, he knew, and he didn't blame her. They all had their jobs to do, and hers had been conflicted by the last rebellion. Still, that couldn't change the fact that now every time Geoffrey thought of Elincia, his mind was clouded by seeing Lucia in the hangman's noose. He wasn't sure that he could ever return to his days of loving the woman who had been willing to sacrifice his sister, even if he and Lucia had both forgiven their milk-sibling.

When his sister had been silent for several minutes, Geoffrey turned his gaze back to her, and what he found made him ashamed of his rash treatment of his sibling. Lucia had long ago rolled up her maps and now sat in silent contemplation. Her brother saw the sullen look in her eyes, and his expression instantly softened. He walked back to the table and knelt next to her, placing his hand on her shoulder. "Luce, I'm sorry. I know you were just trying to help, and my behavior was unacceptable. I –"

Lucia held up her hand to stop him. "It's fine, Geoffrey. Really. Everyone's tense; it's understandable," she replied, fidgeting with the necklace that felt as if it was tightening its grip around her throat.

Geoffrey recognized the motion as one his sister had adopted since her capture at the hands of Ludveck and brushed the loose strands of hair out of her eyes. "Lucia, how are you holding up? And I don't want you to lie and say you're fine because you think that's what everyone expects of you."

The swordswoman shrugged and averted her gaze from her brother. "I'm doing as well as everyone else," she said defensively, and Geoffrey could detect the false sincerity in her voice. It was the tone that fooled Elincia, and possibly even Bastian, into accepting Lucia's words as truth, but her brother knew her better than anyone, and he could see past the guise.

"Lucia, I know that this rebellion is harder for you than it is for perhaps anyone else," Geoffrey insisted. "I know that the scars left by the last rebellion can't have healed, and –"

His sister cut the knight off yet again. "It's not that, Geoff. I can separate myself from that and keep my emotions in check," she confessed, her eyes turning toward her lap.

Geoffrey could see her discomfort at the topic and sighed. "If it has nothing to do with that," he probed, "then what is it?" Lucia hesitated, and the man could feel the rift between them widening. He took her chin in his hands and brought her face back to look in his eyes. "Lucia, you know that you can tell me anything."

The woman pulled away again and was silent for a long time. Finally, when Geoffrey had nearly given up all hope of her confiding in him, Lucia spoke. "I didn't want to tell you because I don't have any proof, but if something…happened to me, no one else would know, and with the revelation that there is a traitor, it might be too important to not discuss," she stated. "You remember that halberdier you shot?" Geoffrey nodded grimly, recalling the most recent time he had almost lost Lucia. "Do you know why I thought he was one of our troops?"

"I...no. I haven't a clue," her brother admitted.

"I recognized him," she informed the man.

Geoffrey nodded slowly, not quite comprehending the significance of her statement. "Yes…" he began tentatively. "Of course you did. Most of the duke's troops were former Royal Knights."

Lucia exhaled sharply. "No, Geoffrey; he wasn't a knight," she explained. "I recognized him from…somewhere much more disturbing." She could tell that she had piqued her brother's interest with these words, and she continued as delicately as she could. "That halberdier was from Delbray. He's a member of Father's personal guard."

It took a moment for these words to sink in, but Geoffrey soon cringed. "You think…you think that father is part of the rebellion?" he managed after some time.

"I think that Renning's forces are stationed at Delbray," she admitted. "It would explain how they could attack and retreat quickly and without detection. No one was expecting it."

Geoffrey frowned and ventured, "Then you think Father is the traitor?" Lucia could do nothing but nod solemnly.


End file.
